What it means to win the NFL Man of the Year Award

The 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the year Charity Challenge was awarded to Haloti Ngata. Chargers legend Rolf Benirschke was in studio to share his thoughts on what it means to win the famed award.

The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. The award was established in 1970. It was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton. Each team nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community.

$500,000 dollars will be donated in the name of the 2017 winner. $250,000 will be donated to the winner’s charity of choice and $250,000 will be donated in his name to expand Character Playbook across the country. The two other finalists will each receive a $100,000 donation to their charity of choice and a $100,000 donation in their names to expand Character Playbook. All other 29 nominees will receive a $50,000 donation to their charity of choice and an additional $50,000 donation in their names to expand Character Playbook. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation, Nationwide and United Way Worldwide.

To further celebrate and promote the 32 team nominees, Nationwide, the presenting sponsor of the award, will execute the third annual Charity Challenge. Fans are encouraged to post #WPMOYChallenge and their favorite nominee’s last name on social media between Dec. 11 and Jan. 7. The nominee who receives the most hashtag mentions will win an additional $25,000 donation to his charity of choice from Nationwide, the runner-up will receive $10,000 and the third-place winner will receive $5,000.

Starting in Week 14 of this season, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year trophy silhouette will appear in uniform elements to further recognize past award winners and current nominees. The five current players who have won the award – Drew Brees, Thomas Davis, Larry Fitzgerald, Eli Manning and Jason Witten – will wear a Man of the Year patch on their jerseys in perpetuity to recognize the outstanding contributions they have made to the game and to their communities. The 32 nominees for the 2017 award will wear a Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season, in recognition of their accomplishments on and off the field.